Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Ninez Cacho-Olivares 01/31/2012
Noynoy is
really endangering the country not only be risking economic sanctions
from China that may even lead to war with the Philippines in the middle
of it all, but also virtually giving the country away — and for a song —
to the no longer great god America by considering (probably a done deal
by this time) to make this country an American base for spy planes or
drones, which could kill many innocent Filipinos, just as these drones
have done in Pakistan and Iraq and other some such places where the
American military is still around.

Already, that report that
emanated from the Washington Post and confirmed by Malacañang, albeit
claiming Noynoy is still “mulling” over the expanded military presence,
has raised the hackles of China, as gleaned from the Communist Party
paper, Global Times, although Chinese diplomatese tempered the Chinese
government’s reaction to the offer from the Philippines to the US,
calling for greater efforts toward “peace and stability” in the region,
after the Philippines offered to allow more American troops on its
territory..... MORE

Russia will not bargain with the West over the fresh draft resolution
on Syria, says Russia’s deputy foreign minister. The draft in its
current form ignores the Russian position and therefore, has no chance
of being accepted, Gennady Gatilov said.

­"It is not part of our political practice to trade our principles," Gatilov said on Monday as cited by Interfax. "We
don't bargain, but seek consideration for our positions and our vision,
which are based on our knowledge of regional realities and our
historical experience.”

"Russia can only support the
resolution if it fixes Russia's principled approaches, which I have
mentioned and which are shared by many other countries," he added..... MORE

Not even a month after President Barack Obama signed his name to the
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, the US
government is already using the legislation to justify its ongoing
detainment of a prisoner at Guantanamo Bay.

Musa'ab al-Madhwani had barely entered adulthood when he first
arrived at the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in 2002. But in
the months between his capture in Pakistan and transfer to Gitmo, the
Yemeni national experienced more than most would see in a lifetime.
Before he turned 23, he says he was beaten and kicked, threatened with
death and suspended by his hands in an underground torture chamber..... MORE

Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz 01/31/2012
It
does not require much brainwork to know and conclude that the now
ongoing impeachment trial costs money — money that certainly does not
come from any of those directly and indirectly invoked therein. Instead,
they are nonchalantly and conveniently taken from the direct and/or
indirect taxes of every baby, child, teenager and adult in the
Philippines. Never mind if they have barely enough money to buy their
food, to pay for their clothes and shelter.

Never mind if their fathers
and/or mothers cannot even find work, cannot in fact afford sending them
to school, cannot buy the medicines they need and do not even find any
relief in the ever rising prices of prime commodities — their little
energy/fuel consumption included.

In other words, never mind if
the impeachment case is undertaken more by way of vindictiveness than
the honest-to-goodness search for truth and the due application of
justice...... MORESource: The Daily Tribune

“If it is false, it’s an insensitive and irresponsible claim designed to confuse and raise false hopes. It could be a cheap shot to incorrectly undermine the charges. But if true, which is good, it raises even more questions though.” – Edre Olalia, private prosecutor

By RONALYN V. OLEA
Bulatlat.com

MALOLOS CITY, Bulacan – After five years and a half of searching for her daughter, Erlinda Cadapan would have been overjoyed after being told that her dearest Sherlyn and companion Karen Empeño, the two missing University of the Philippines (UP) students, are still alive.

But the news came from one of the purported lawyers of retired Gen. Jovito Palparan Jr., the main suspect in the abduction of the two UP students.

In the January 30 hearing at the Bulacan Regional Trial Court branch 14, lawyer Jesus Santos said, “Last night, I was informed that the alleged victims are alive. If [petition for] preliminary investigation is allowed, [we will prove that] the alleged victims are alive, then what is the crime committed?”

Judge Teodora Gonzales said Santos’s statement is mere information not supported by facts. Santos replied, “If this information would be right, it’s the end [of the case].”

Surprised, one of the private prosecutors Edre Olalia stood up and said, “If the bare allegation is true, charges of kidnapping and serious illegal detention still hold…Assuming it is true, it would not in any way affect the case.”

Judge Gonzales told Santos, “Unless the victims are produced, the statement would not hold water.”

“It is difficult to take their words. What I want is the truth. If they know where Sherlyn is, why did they not surface her earlier? I have been searching for more than five years. They have been lying to us for so long. If it is true, why did they not bring my daughter and Karen to court?” Mrs. Cadapan said in an interview after the hearing.

Mrs. Cadapan noted that Santos did not provide the source of information and any details regarding the whereabouts of Karen and Sherlyn. ..... MORE

Ken Fuller 01/31/2012
Last week, this
column argued that many Philippine commentators on economic affairs fail
to think “outside the box.” Due to ideological commitment, some
voluntarily submit to the narrow horizons of the current, dysfunctional
“export-oriented” economic model, imposed by the World Bank and
International Monetary Fund decades ago. Others have simply abandoned
hope that the Philippines will embark upon the path of genuine
development.

Take, for example, the concern regarding the Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Bill currently before the US Congress.

In
2011, business process outsourcing (BPO) revenue in the Philippines was
$9 billion, no less than 4.5 percent of gross domestic product. Some
900 BPO firms employ 1.1 million Filipinos, around 60 percent of whom
are call center agents. This country, being the world’s third largest
provider, has 15 percent of the market share...... MORESource: The Daily Tribune

The
complaint arose after Vitug, in her book, claimed, among others, that
over his years in the judiciary, lawyers and judges gave Velasco the
monicker “practicing justice,” referring to his frequent visits to his
former law firm when he was a Court of Appeals (CA) justice.

In a
two-page information, Assistant City Prosecutor Jose Nelson Todas found
probable cause to indict Vitug, citing as evidence her own book, “Shadow
of Doubt,” launched two years ago..... MORE

The
Department of National Defense (DND) yesterday doused fears that the
planned increased military presence of the United States in the
Asia-Pacific Region, particularly in the Philippines through more
military exercises, was aimed against China which has expressed concerns
over the plan.

At a press briefing, DND spokesman Peter Paul
Galvez said the Philippines is pushing for stability and peace in the
Asia Pacific region as he stressed that the planned increased US
military presence coupled with the ongoing capability upgrade and
modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are not
directed against any nation.

“Of course, we are after peace and
stability in the region. That is our priority,” Galvez said. “…The
increased US presence is really for the exercises, along with the
equipment we are buying, we need to know more, we need to train how to
use these things properly. There are new concepts of operations, there
are some techniques that we don’t know yet, that is the primary reason.”.... MORE

Zambales
Rep. Ma. Milagros “Mitos” Magsaysay yesterday slammed an editorial by
the China Global Times pushing the Chinese government to sanction the
Philippines over its increased ties with the United States in terms of
improving the country’s defense capabilities, saying China has no right
to impose punishment on the Philippines since we are an independent
country and not under their control.

“China has no right to impose
sanctions on the Philippines because we are not under their control. We
are an independent nation and thus, do not serve for their pleasure,”
Magsaysay said.

However, the solon urged the government to rethink
its decision to undergo more joint exercises in the country as well as
allowing American soldiers to rotate around the country and expressed
alarm that this might jeopardize the safety and security of the
Philippines and make it a target by enemies of the United States..... MORE

A
meeting between members of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC)
proceeded smoothly despite the different sides that members of the
collegial body are standing on the impeachment of Chief Justice Renato
Corona.

Five
jail officers of the Navotas City Jail were ordered a 90-day suspension
after the escape of five inmates from their custody on Jan. 23, the
Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) said.